Secret Santa, Part 1
Secret Santa, Part 1 is the seventh episode of the eighth season of The New Girl, Cheer Revolution. The episode focuses on the guys of Centerscore High searching for the right present for their Secret Santa recipient. The episode was released on December 8, 2011. Synopsis It's Secret Santa time, but Ben, Brendan, Hector, Spencer, and Howard are all struggling to find the right gifts! Can you help them with their shopping woes? Plot Ben has noticed that since Thanksgiving, when Denni stormed out of his house, she had been acting standoffish. Justin enters the cafeteria dressed in a Santa costume to present the Secret Santa program. He explains that everyone involved would receive someone else to get a present for for everyday in the week and will reveal themselves with one grand present at the end of the week. Ben hopes to get Denni, but receives Jessica. Denni refuses to disclose who she got. Three days later, Justin announces that tomorrow will be the final day. Denni receives a used toiletry kit, to her disgust, along with the other cheap presents she's received. Jessica's present is the DVD set of "Boyfriend Switch". Ben and Denni casually discuss the ease of buying Jessica a present and he comments to himself that he is glad the two still have some of the same rapport. Justin gives Ben his present, however Ben does not expect anything good, having received previous presents that he described as "ho-hum." This time, he receives a plastic pumpkin and expresses his unhappiness, vexing Denni. He suspects that Denni is his Secret Santa. Elsewhere, Zoe and Sam have yet to receive a gift, Taylor is upset that she got pom-poms and Amanda does not understand how to use the jigsaw. Seconds before she opens it, it is shown that Brendan is her Secret Santa. He voices his troubles about failing to find the right gift for Amanda. Erik suggests he asks Amanda about what she wants, as she would likely not catch on, being dimwitted. Brendan does so and learns that Amanda wants something furry, funny, soft and/or sunny. That night, Brendan buys her a stuffed animal puppy. As he is leaving, he sees Ben and Ryan arguing. Ben claims that Ryan's presents for Denni are undesirable and disgusting. Ryan proceeds to mention the problems he and Denni are having and declares the two would break up. Brendan confronts Ryan and mentions that Ryan has yet to have a girlfriend and orders him to leave. Ben thanks him and affirms that he's decided to get Denni a gift of his own. He advises Brendan to get Amanda more than one gift, in case she does not like one. Flashing back to earlier that day, Hector is revealed to be Zoe's Secret Santa, while Spencer is Sam's. Both promise to find them the right gift. The two boys agree to go to the mall to shop for the girls. Hours later, after rifling through a variety of stores, Spencer has yet to find the right gift for Sam, to Hector's annoyance. Spencer contends that the gift has to indicate that the two are only friends, as he is trying to rekindle their friendship. They enter an ornament shop, where Spencer chooses to get a wrestler ornament. Next, the boys shop for Zoe. Hector planned on getting Zoe a ring, however felt that he was overlooking something after seeing the effort Spencer put in to finding Sam a present. He buys Zoe a music box instead. Just as they exit, they run into Ben, who is shopping for Denni. Ben explains that he wants to get jewelry for Denni, in spite of that she dislikes it, as he is following advice. Hector and Spencer discourage him from following said advice and instead go to Gifts and Stuff. The two boys walk exit the mall, confident in their purchases. The scene shifts back to earlier that day, where Howard watches Taylor opens the present he got her, pom-poms, despite having quit the cheerleading team. Howard is unsure of what to get Taylor, having forgotten that she was no longer a cheerleader and believing that she would not want what the typical nerd would want. Inside the mall at night, he wanders aimlessly past various shops. He calls Brendan for guidance, who recommends he go to a variety store. At Gifts and Stuff, Howard finds a present that appeals to both the cheerleader and nerd side of Taylor. He sees a struggling Ben and proposes he think like Denni to help himself find a present. Zooming back to the moment Denni gets angry at Ben in the lunchroom, Ben thinks to himself that all he can do at the moment is find Jessica a present. He goes to the mall, where he spots Ryan buying socks for Denni. Past their argument and Brendan's intervention, he calls Jessica for help. Jessica suspects that Ben is her Secret Santa and encourages him to buy jewelry for Denni, despite Ben's reluctance. After Hector and Spencer tell him to go to Gifts and Stuff rather than a jewelry shop and receiving Howard's tip, he realizes that the best gift for Denni would be one he made himself. Following Jessica's advice, he decides to knit her a sweater, but soon abandons the idea. He invites Denni over, who informs him that she will be on vacation during Christmas break and is still somewhat mad at Ben. He gives her a perfume bottle with a smell that he made himself. Denni is overjoyed and she confesses that she was his Secret Santa. She explains that each present she got him was meant to symbolize a significant point in their relationship. She apologizes for being jealous, as he does for being negligent. They kiss and spend the night together, declaring that they love each other. That morning, Ben realizes he still hasn't gotten Jessica a present. In a rush, he pores the leftovers of Denni's perfume into a new bottle for Jessica. Bonus Scene Checking in with other Secret Santas, Travis and Megan enter Secondhand Socks, searching for a present for Megan to give to Ryan. Megan refuses to get him that, stating that she repaired Ryan's Robot Girlfriend. Meanwhile, the swim team assembled to talk about their presents. Sara got Erik sunglasses and Linda and Hannah hint that Erik may have a crush on Sara, before switching the topic to Hannah's present for Zach, a nerd siren. Linda condemns the present, asserting that the nerds are their friends, which Hannah disagrees. Linda got her recipient a book of her own poetry, but refused to disclose who it was for. Characters Category:Episodes Category:Year 4 Category:The New Girl Category:Season 8: Cheer Revolution